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| Wine Bar Sues Trump and Hotel, Claiming Illegal Advantage | |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| Diane Gross and Khalid Pitts, the owners of the Cork Wine Bar in Washington, are no strangers to publicity. | Diane Gross and Khalid Pitts, the owners of the Cork Wine Bar in Washington, are no strangers to publicity. |
| Shortly after they opened Cork in 2008, one prominent food critic said that the bar and restaurant was so popular that its “phone had better rest near a thick pad of paper.” In 2016, Bon Appétit raved about the selection at the bar’s sister retail store. And recently, Food and Wine named Cork one of the 19 best wine bars in the country. | Shortly after they opened Cork in 2008, one prominent food critic said that the bar and restaurant was so popular that its “phone had better rest near a thick pad of paper.” In 2016, Bon Appétit raved about the selection at the bar’s sister retail store. And recently, Food and Wine named Cork one of the 19 best wine bars in the country. |
| But, this week, Mr. Pitts and Ms. Gross, who are married, are getting attention for something other than the wines and food they sell: On Wednesday night, the couple filed a lawsuit against President Trump and a business that bears his name. | But, this week, Mr. Pitts and Ms. Gross, who are married, are getting attention for something other than the wines and food they sell: On Wednesday night, the couple filed a lawsuit against President Trump and a business that bears his name. |
| Mr. Pitts and Ms. Gross claim that the Trump International Hotel, in the Old Post Office building in Washington, and the restaurants within enjoy an illegal advantage in the city’s restaurant market because of their association with Mr. Trump and that Cork has suffered as a result. | Mr. Pitts and Ms. Gross claim that the Trump International Hotel, in the Old Post Office building in Washington, and the restaurants within enjoy an illegal advantage in the city’s restaurant market because of their association with Mr. Trump and that Cork has suffered as a result. |
| “We’re used to a lot of competition — it makes you better, faster, stronger — but the competition that’s coming from the hotel is not fair,” Ms. Gross said. | “We’re used to a lot of competition — it makes you better, faster, stronger — but the competition that’s coming from the hotel is not fair,” Ms. Gross said. |
| The wine bar, which serves more than 50 varieties by the glass, has hosted events for a variety of groups, including White House officials, members of Congress, the World Bank, Naral Pro-Choice America and the Sierra Club, according to the couple. | The wine bar, which serves more than 50 varieties by the glass, has hosted events for a variety of groups, including White House officials, members of Congress, the World Bank, Naral Pro-Choice America and the Sierra Club, according to the couple. |
| But Cork is losing business to the Trump hotel, which they say — as others have suggested — may be attracting diplomats and politicians looking to curry favor with Mr. Trump. | But Cork is losing business to the Trump hotel, which they say — as others have suggested — may be attracting diplomats and politicians looking to curry favor with Mr. Trump. |
| Ms. Gross and Mr. Pitts are not seeking monetary damages. But the suit, filed in District of Columbia Superior Court, offers a few improbable ways to resolve the issue: The hotel can stop operating; Mr. Trump and his family can fully divest from the business; or Mr. Trump can resign from office. | Ms. Gross and Mr. Pitts are not seeking monetary damages. But the suit, filed in District of Columbia Superior Court, offers a few improbable ways to resolve the issue: The hotel can stop operating; Mr. Trump and his family can fully divest from the business; or Mr. Trump can resign from office. |
| A White House spokeswoman referred questions to the Trump Organization, which described the lawsuit in a statement as “a wild publicity stunt completely lacking in legal merit.” | A White House spokeswoman referred questions to the Trump Organization, which described the lawsuit in a statement as “a wild publicity stunt completely lacking in legal merit.” |
| Mr. Trump’s son Eric Trump, in an interview with The Washington Post, called it “ridiculous.” | Mr. Trump’s son Eric Trump, in an interview with The Washington Post, called it “ridiculous.” |
| But Ms. Gross chafes at the suggestion that the suit is a stunt. | But Ms. Gross chafes at the suggestion that the suit is a stunt. |
| “A lawsuit is not necessarily the way you want to call attention to yourself,” she said. | “A lawsuit is not necessarily the way you want to call attention to yourself,” she said. |
| The pair is represented by a team of lawyers who are working for free. That team, led by the law offices of Mark S. Zaid and the Veritas Law Firm, includes the George Washington University Law School professors Alan B. Morrison, who co-founded and led a public interest group with Ralph Nader, and Steven L. Schooner. | The pair is represented by a team of lawyers who are working for free. That team, led by the law offices of Mark S. Zaid and the Veritas Law Firm, includes the George Washington University Law School professors Alan B. Morrison, who co-founded and led a public interest group with Ralph Nader, and Steven L. Schooner. |
| Mr. Schooner, who specializes in government procurement law, has repeatedly warned that Mr. Trump may be in violation of the lease his company signed with the federal government for the post office building. | Mr. Schooner, who specializes in government procurement law, has repeatedly warned that Mr. Trump may be in violation of the lease his company signed with the federal government for the post office building. |
| One clause of the lease, in particular, states that no elected official may benefit from the lease. The clause’s presence, the couple’s lawyers argue, supports Cork’s claim of unfair competition. | One clause of the lease, in particular, states that no elected official may benefit from the lease. The clause’s presence, the couple’s lawyers argue, supports Cork’s claim of unfair competition. |
| “The reason they were worried about that conflict is because it’s to the detriment of the public and to the detriment of other businesses,” said Scott Rome, of the Veritas Law Firm, who has represented Mr. Pitts and Ms. Gross since they started Cork. | “The reason they were worried about that conflict is because it’s to the detriment of the public and to the detriment of other businesses,” said Scott Rome, of the Veritas Law Firm, who has represented Mr. Pitts and Ms. Gross since they started Cork. |
| Mr. Trump has repeatedly been assailed for failing to better distance himself from his global business interests, which critics say cast a pall over the decisions he makes as president. | Mr. Trump has repeatedly been assailed for failing to better distance himself from his global business interests, which critics say cast a pall over the decisions he makes as president. |
| Ms. Gross, a registered Democrat, and Mr. Pitts, a registered independent, have both long been involved in progressive causes, but insist that politics has nothing to do with their lawsuit. | Ms. Gross, a registered Democrat, and Mr. Pitts, a registered independent, have both long been involved in progressive causes, but insist that politics has nothing to do with their lawsuit. |
| “We’re both businesspeople,’’ Mr. Pitts said, “and this is a business dispute that we think the courts need to step in and address.” | “We’re both businesspeople,’’ Mr. Pitts said, “and this is a business dispute that we think the courts need to step in and address.” |